Military movies? Where’s the humor?

War is hell. We know that and I want to be up front in that I am not saying that we need to laugh at war. Though MASH and Catch-22 did a great job of it. Yet, laughing at the armed forces or at least, the stupidity of some of the things that occur while enlisted are as American as apple pie and trying to avoid paying taxes.

Think about the great movies that poked fun at the service. Private Benjamin, Stripes. Gomer Pyle.

For every Hurt Locker, Hamburger Hill, 12 O’Clock High, Platoon, there is a Top Shots or even Top Gun which, while a big ad for the Navy, was so over the top that it was funny. But in the past few years — well more like 20 years, the humor and poking fun at the military has disappeared. Why is that? Foreign Policy asked that question and has a long essay on it that can be found here.

It wasn’t always this way. At the height of the Cold War, books, films, and TV shows frequently made fun of military institutions and used the horror of war as a backdrop for comedy. Think of Sgt. Bilko (with Phil Silvers as a larcenous NCO), McHale’s Navy, No Time for Sergeants, orGomer Pyle, USMC — all popular plays or TV shows that exposed the foibles of military life to merciless scrutiny.

Part of it could be the elimination of the draft. I lean to that as it used to be everyone had a stake in the military and such, it was fair game. Now so few people serve and most have no idea what it means to “embrace the suck” or be “15 minutes early for 15 minutes early.” Part of it could be a collective guilt surrounding the aftermath of Vietnam or part of it could be a change in the sensibilities of the nation. In any case, it’s a great read.

What do you think and in a similar vein, favorite war movie? Mine is 12 O’Clock High. Nothing better than that movie in my sense for the authenticity, the acting, the passion and the drama. Great job. You?

Author: Andy Kravetz

Andy Kravetz has spent most of the past 16 years covering the area’s legal system as well as the military. in that time, he’s crawled in the mud, flown in transport planes, and written about a man prosecuted for terrorism. This blog will reflect all those interests and then some.